Plasmodium liver stage antigens

ABSTRACT

The invention provides isolated liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1-48 and immunogenic derivatives thereof. The invention also provides isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention, compositions comprising one or more liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention, methods for inducing an immune response against the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides, and methods for treating and diagnosing liver stage malaria.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/722,254, filed Sep. 30, 2005, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/748,382, filed Dec. 8, 2005, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT LICENSE RIGHTS

This invention was made by employees of the United States Army Medical Research And Materiel Command, which is an agency of the United States Government. The Government has certain rights in this invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to proteins that are specifically expressed by liver stage Plasmodium parasites, and their use in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of malaria.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Malaria has a tremendous impact on human health, killing millions annually, and the disease is a major impediment for social and economic development of nations in malaria-endemic areas, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (Sachs & Malaney (2002) Nature 415:680-85). Malaria infection begins when the Anopheline female injects infective sporozoites into the mammalian host. Sporozoites travel through different cells before settling into their final host hepatocyte. The sporozoite moves into a parasitophorous vacuole created by invagination of the hepatocyte plasma membrane. Inside this compartment the sporozoite transforms into a liver stage. The liver stage grows rapidly and undergoes multiple rounds of nuclear division. The mature liver stage releases thousands of merozoites that will establish red blood cell infection. Liver stages are predicted to express many different proteins, some possibly unique to this stage, but only few of those unique molecules have been identified so far. Identification of liver stage-specific molecules is important because the infected hepatocyte has been established as the primary target of the sterile protective immune response in the radiation attenuated sporozoite vaccine model and recently in the genetically attenuated sporozoite vaccine model (reviewed in Matuschewski (2006) Curr. Op. Immunol. 18:1-9). In addition, liver stage molecules that can be detected in human diagnostic sample may be useful for diagnosing early stage malaria.

There is a need in the art for vaccines that protect against malaria infection and disease. There is also a need in the art for diagnostic markers for malaria. The present invention addresses these needs and others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention provides isolated liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides. In some embodiments, the isolated liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides comprise an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48. In some embodiments, the liver stage Plasmodium proteins are preferentially targeted by immune responses associated with protection from Plasmodium infection. The isolated liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention may be recombinant or synthetic polypeptides. In some embodiments, the polypeptides of the invention are immunogenic derivatives of polypeptides comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48. Such immunogenic derivatives include, but are not limited to, peptides comprising an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs:49-52.

Another aspect of the invention provides isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention. Thus, some embodiments provide an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48 and immunogenic derivatives thereof.

A further aspect of the invention provides compositions comprising one or more liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Thus, some embodiments provide an immunogenic composition comprising a liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48 and immunogenic derivatives thereof. In some embodiments, the compositions of the invention are immunogenic compositions for inducing immune responses, such as vaccine compositions.

In another aspect, the invention provides methods for inducing an immune response against Plasmodium parasites, comprising administering an immunogenic composition comprising an effective amount of one or more liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention. Thus, in some embodiments the invention provides a method for inducing an immune response in a mammalian subject against Plasmodium falciparum, comprising administering to a mammalian subject a composition comprising an effective amount of at least one liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48 and immunogenic derivatives thereof.

Yet another aspect of the invention provides methods for treating a mammalian subject in need thereof, comprising administering to a mammalian subject in need thereof an immunogenic composition comprising an effective amount of one or more liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention. Thus, in some embodiments the invention provides a method for treating a human subject in need thereof, comprising administering to a human subject an immunogenic composition comprising at least one isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48 and immunogenic derivatives thereof.

In addition, the invention provides genetically attenuated sporozoites from which at least one gene coding for a liver stage polypeptides of the invention has been eliminated. Thus, in some embodiments, the invention provides genetically attenuated Plasmodium sporozoites lacking a gene coding for a liver stage polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48.

The invention also provides expression vectors encoding the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention, host cells comprising such expression vectors, antibodies that bind specifically to the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention or immunogenic derivatives thereof, and diagnostic assays for detecting the presence of the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention or nucleic acid molecules encoding them.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In one aspect, the invention provides novel proteins expressed by liver stage Plasmodium parasites. Some of these proteins are expressed specifically in liver stage parasites, as shown in EXAMPLES 1-3 (see Tables 2 and 3, SEQ ID NOs:1-28). Some of the liver stage proteins of the invention are expressed both in sporozoites and liver stage parasites, but are expressed at significantly lower levels in blood stage parasites, as shown in EXAMPLE 3 (see Table 4, SEQ ID NOs:29-48).

In some embodiments, the liver stage Plasmodium proteins are preferentially targeted by immune responses associated with protection from Plasmodium infection. For example, the liver stage proteins or immunogenic derivatives thereof may be antigenic targets of T cell immunity that correlates with protection, as shown in EXAMPLE 4. The liver stage Plasmodium proteins of the invention may also be preferentially recognized by sera from subjects that have acquired immunity to Plasmodium infection than by sera from pre-immune or non-immune subjects (see, e.g., Doolan et al. (2003) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100(17):9952-7; Sundaresh et al. (2006) Bioinformatics 22(14): 1760-6).

Thus, one aspect of the invention provides isolated liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides. In some embodiments, the isolated liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides comprise an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48. The sequences of these proteins, the nucleotide sequences encoding them, and annotation information may be obtained from the Plasmodium Genome Database (http://plasmodb.org/; Kissinger et. al. (2002) Nature 419: 490-492) under the protein/gene ID numbers provided in Tables 1-4, and are herein incorporated by reference. The isolated liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention may be recombinant or synthetic full-length polypeptides, or immunogenic derivatives thereof, as further described below. Accordingly, some embodiments of the invention provide an isolated Plasmodium polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48 and immunogenic derivatives thereof. For example, the isolated polypeptide may be a P. falciparum polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:11-44 and immunogenic derivatives thereof.

As used herein, the term “polypeptide” refers to a polymer of amino acids and does not refer to a specific length of the product; thus, peptides, oligopeptides, and proteins are included within the definition of polypeptide. This term also includes post-expression modifications of the polypeptide, for example, glycosylations, acetylations, phosphorylations, and the like. Included within the definition are, for example, polypeptides containing one or more analogues of an amino acid (including, for example, unnatural amino acids, PNA, etc.), polypeptides with substituted linkages, as well as other modifications known in the art, both naturally occurring and non-naturally occurring.

The liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention may be full-length polypeptides, immunogenic derivatives or domains of full-length polypeptides, or immunogenic variants thereof. As used herein, the term “immunogenic” refers to the ability of a polypeptide to elicit a humoral and/or cellular immune response, whether alone or when linked to a carrier, in the presence or absence of an adjuvant. Thus, an immunogenic portion of a full-length liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide of the invention refers to a portion of the full-length polypeptide that is capable of eliciting an immune response against the corresponding full-length polypeptide. The term “immunogenic derivative or domain” encompasses any polypeptide that includes at least 5 to 8 amino acids (such as, for example, 10 to 50 amino acids, 30 to 200 amino acids, or 100 to 500 amino acids) and that is capable of inducing an immune response to the full-length polypeptide. Thus, immunogenic derivative include truncated forms, epitopes, or other derivatives of full-length polypeptides.

The term “epitope” refers to a linear array of 3 to 10 amino acids aligned along the surface of a protein. In a linear epitope, the amino acids are joined sequentially and follow the primary structure of the protein. In a conformational epitope, residues are not joined sequentially, but lie linearly along the surface due to the conformation (folding) of the protein. With respect to conformational epitopes, the length of the epitope-defining sequence can be subject to wide variations. The portions of the primer structure of the antigen between the residues defining the epitope may not be critical to the structure of the conformational epitope. For example, deletion or substitution of these intervening sequences may not affect the conformational epitope provided sequences critical to epitope conformation are maintained (e.g., cysteines involved in disulfide bonding, glycosylation sites, etc.). A conformational epitope may also be formed by two or more essential regions of subunits of a homo-oligomer or hetero-oligomer.

Other immunogenic derivatives may be prepared by the addition, deletion, substitution, or rearrangement of amino acids or by chemical modifications thereof. Exemplary epitopes of liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides are described in EXAMPLES 1 and 4. Thus, immunogenic derivatives include, but are not limited to, peptides comprising an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs:49-52.

Methods of predicting immunogenic regions in a polypeptide are well-known in the art. For example, a polypeptide sequence may be analyzed by using several algorithms, including prediction of hydrophilicity according to the Kyte-Doolittle method, surface probability according to the Emini method, and antigenicity according to the Jameson-Wolf method (for example, the Protean software, available from DNASTAR, http://www.dnastar.com/). Other epitope prediction approaches are known in the art (see, e.g., Moise & De Groot (2006) Nat. Biotechnol. 24(7):791-2).

In some embodiments, the immunogenic derivatives of the liver stage Plasmodium proteins of the invention include 5 to 10, 10 to 50, 20 to 200, 40 to 300, or 100 to 600 contiguous amino acids of a full-length polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48. Exemplary immunogenic derivatives of the polypeptides of the invention are described in EXAMPLES 1 and 4, and include, but are not limited to, peptides comprising an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs:49-52, polypeptides comprising amino acids 59-300 of SEQ ID NO:13, amino acids 72-230 of SEQ ID NO:14, amino acids 1-545 or amino acids 660-1073 of SEQ ID NO:17, amino acids 28-184 of SEQ ID NO:18, amino acids 151-326 of SEQ ID NO:20, amino acids 6-529 or amino acids 587-842 of SEQ ID NO:21, amino acids 1-346 of SEQ ID NO:23, amino acids 92-578 of SEQ ID NO:25, amino acids 76-130 of SEQ ID NO:30, amino acids 415-885 of SEQ D NO:31 amino acids 84-229 of SEQ ID NO:33, amino acids 22-291 of SEQ ID NO:34, amino acids 208-512 or amino acids 716-1026 of SEQ ID NO:35, amino acids 1-135 of SEQ ID NO:36, amino acids 181-306 or amino acids 47-457 of SEQ ID NO:39, amino acids 585-1018 of SEQ ID NO:40, amino acids 230-843 of SEQ ID NO:41, amino acids 236-683 of SEQ ID NO:44, amino acids 26-182 of SEQ 10 NO:45, and amino acids 23-459 or amino acids 488-813 of SEQ ID NO:48.

Immunogenic derivatives of the polypeptides of the invention, which may be useful in the preparation of vaccines, may be prepared by expression of the appropriate gene fragments or by peptide synthesis, using methods well known in the art, as further described below. Exemplary methods for recombinant expression of immunogenic derivatives of the invention are provided in EXAMPLE 6.

An immunogenic derivative may be a fusion polypeptide containing additional sequences encoding one or more epitopes for other Plasmodium immunogens, or other non-Plasmodium immunogens. Alternatively, the immunogenic derivative of the invention may be fused to a carrier polypeptide (such as Hepatitis B surface or core antigen) or to another carrier that has immunostimulating properties, as in the case of an adjuvant, or that otherwise enhances the immune response to the protein or derivative thereof, or that is useful in expressing, purifying or formulating the protein or derivative thereof. The liver stage Plasmodium proteins or immunogenic derivatives thereof may be chemically conjugated to a macromolecule using a conventional linking agent such as glutaraldehyde (Geerlings et al. (1988) J. Immunol. Methods 106: 239-244).

In some embodiments, the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention include immunogenic derivatives with more than 80% amino acid sequence identity (such as more than 90% sequence identity, more than 95% amino acid sequence identity, or more than 99% sequence identity) to the sequences defined in SEQ ID NOs:1-48. The terms “identical” or percent “identity”, in the context of two or more amino acid sequences, refer to two or more sequences or subsequences that are the same or have a specified percentage of amino acid residues that are the same, when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence over a comparison window, as measured using one of the following sequence comparison algorithms or by manual alignment and visual inspection.

It is recognized that amino acid positions that are not identical often differ by conservative amino acid substitutions, where amino acid residues are substituted for other amino acid residues with similar chemical properties (e.g., charge or hydrophobicity) and therefore do not change the functional properties of the molecule. Where sequences differ in conservative substitutions, the percent sequence identity may be adjusted upwards to correct for the conservative nature of the substitution. Means for making this adjustment are well known to those of skill in the art. The scoring of conservative substitutions can be calculated according to, for example, the algorithm of Meyers & Millers (1988) Computer Applic. Biol. Sci. 4:11-17.

A “comparison window” refers to a segment of contiguous positions, such as between about 25 and about 600 positions, or between about 50 to 200 positions, or between about 100 and 150 positions, over which a sequence may be compared to a reference sequence of the same number of contiguous positions after the two sequences are optimally aligned. Methods of alignment of sequences for comparison are well known in the art. Optimal alignment of sequences for comparison can be conducted, for example, by a local homology algorithm (Smith & Waterman (1981) Adv. Appl. Math. 2:482), by a global alignment algorithm (Needleman & Wunsch (1970) J. Mol. Biol. 48:443), by search for similarity methods (Pearson & Lipman (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 85:2444; Altschul et al. (1997) Nucl. Acids Res. 25(17):3389-402), by computerized implementations of these algorithms (e.g., GAP, BESTFIT, FASTA, and BLAST in the Wisconsin Genetics Software Package, Genetics Computer Group, 575 Science Dr., Madison, Wis.), typically using the default settings, or by manual alignment and visual inspection (see, e.g., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology (1994) Ausubel et al., eds.). For example, BLAST protein searches can be performed using the XBLAST program, score=50, wordlength=3 to obtain amino acid sequences that are more than 80% identical to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NOs:1-48.

One example of a useful algorithm implementation is PILEUP. PILEUP creates a multiple sequence alignment from a group of related sequences using progressive pairwise alignments. It can also plot a dendrogram showing the clustering relationships used to create the alignment. PILEUP uses a simplification of the progressive alignment method of Feng & Doolittle (1987) J. Mol. Evol. 35:351-60. The method used is similar to the method described by Higgins & Sharp (1989) CABIOS 5:151-3. The multiple alignment procedure begins with the pairwise alignment of the two most similar sequences, producing a cluster of two aligned sequences. This cluster can then be aligned to the next most related sequence or cluster of aligned sequences. Two clusters of sequences can be aligned by a simple extension of the pairwise alignment of two individual sequences. A series of such pairwise alignments that includes increasingly dissimilar sequences and clusters of sequences at each iteration produces the final alignment.

In some embodiments, the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention include variants of the wild-type polypeptides. These variants fall into one or more of three classes: substitutional, insertional or deletional variants. These variants may be naturally occurring allelic or interspecies variants (e.g., variants from different P. falciparum strains), or they may be prepared by site-specific mutagenesis of nucleotides in the DNA encoding protein. Site-specific mutagenesis may be performed using cassette or PCR mutagenesis or other techniques well known in the art, to produce DNA encoding the variant, and thereafter expressing the DNA in recombinant cell culture. Variant target protein fragments having up to about 100-150 amino acid residues may be prepared by in vitro synthesis using established techniques. Conservative substitution tables providing functionally similar amino acids are well known in the art (Henikoff & Henikoff (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89:10915-9)

Amino acid substitutions are typically of single residues. Insertions usually will be on the order of from about 1 to about 20 amino acids, although considerably longer insertions may be tolerated. Deletions range from about 1 to about 20 residues, although in some cases, deletions may be much longer. Substitutions, deletions, and insertions or any combinations thereof may be used to arrive at a final derivative.

In some embodiments, the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention are recombinant polypeptides. The term “recombinant polypeptide” refers to a protein produced by recombinant expression methods, such as, for example, in prokaryotic or eukaryotic host cells, or in cell-free in vitro expression systems, as described in detail below.

The liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention are typically expressed using an expression vector and purified. Expression vectors may be either self-replicating extrachromosomal vectors or vectors that integrate into a host genome. Generally, expression vectors include transcriptional and translational regulatory nucleic acid sequences operably linked to the nucleic acid encoding the target protein. The term “control sequences” refers to DNA sequences necessary for the expression of an operably linked coding sequence in a particular host organism. The control sequences that are suitable for prokaryotes, for example, include a promoter, optionally an operator sequence, and a ribosome binding site. Eukaryotic cells are known to use promoters, polyadenylation signals, and enhancers. A nucleic acid sequence is “operably linked” when it is placed into a functional relationship with another nucleic acid sequence. For example, DNA for a presequence or secretory leader is operably linked to DNA for a polypeptide if it is expressed as a preprotein that participates in the secretion of the polypeptide; a promoter or enhancer is operably linked to a coding sequence if it affects the transcription of the sequence; or a ribosome binding site is operably linked to a coding sequence if it is positioned so as to facilitate translation. Operably linked DNA sequences may be contiguous or non-contiguous. Methods for linking DNA sequences are well-known in the art and include use of the polymerase chain reaction and ligation. The transcriptional and translational regulatory nucleic acid will generally be appropriate to the host cell used to express the target protein; for example, transcriptional and translational regulatory nucleic acid sequences from E. coli are preferably used to express the target protein in E. coli.

Numerous types of appropriate expression vectors, and suitable regulatory sequences are known in the art for a variety of host cells. Methods for expressing polypeptides are well known in the art (e.g., Sambrook et al. (1989) Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2nd ed., vol. 1-3, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Berger and Kimmel (1987) Guide to Molecular Cloning Techniques, Methods in Enzymology, vol. 152, Academic Press, Inc., San Diego, Calif.; Ausubel et al. (1995) Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., NY)

In general, the transcriptional and translational regulatory sequences may include, but are not limited to, promoter sequences, ribosomal binding sites, transcriptional start and stop sequences, translational start and stop sequences, and enhancer or activator sequences. Promoter sequences encode either constitutive or inducible promoters. The promoters may be either naturally occurring promoters or hybrid promoters. Hybrid promoters, which combine elements of more than one promoter, are well known in the art.

An expression vector may comprise additional elements. For example, the expression vector may have two replication systems, thus allowing it to be maintained in two organisms, for example in mammalian or insect cells for expression and in a prokaryotic host for cloning and amplification. Furthermore, for integrating expression vectors, the expression vector contains at least one sequence homologous to a sequence in the host cell genome, and preferably two homologous sequences that flank the expression construct. The integrating vector may be directed to a specific locus in the host cell by selecting the appropriate homologous sequence for inclusion in the vector. Constructs for integrating vectors are well known in the art.

In addition, an expression vector may include a selectable marker gene to allow the selection of transformed host cells. Selection genes are well known in the art and will vary depending on the host cell used.

The liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention may be produced by culturing a host cell transformed with an expression vector containing nucleic acid encoding a liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide, under the appropriate conditions to induce or cause expression of the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide. The conditions appropriate for protein expression will vary with the choice of the expression vector and the host cell, and may be easily determined by one skilled in the art using routine experimentation. For example, the growth and proliferation of the host cell may be optimized for the use of constitutive promoters in the expression vector, and appropriate growth conditions for induction are provided for use of an inducible promoter. In addition, in some embodiments, the timing of the harvest is important, for example, when using baculoviral systems. One of skill in the art will recognize that the coding sequences may be optimized for expression in the selected host cells.

Appropriate host cells include yeast, bacteria, archaebacteria, fungi, insect cells, and animal cells, including mammalian cells (such as human cells and cells lines). Thus, host cells include, but are not limited to, Drosophila melanogaster cells, Tetrahymena, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other yeasts, E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, Sf9 cells, C129 cells, 293 cells, Neurospora, BHK, CHO, COS, HeLa cells, Hep G2 cells, THP1 cell line (a macrophage cell line), and human embryonic kidney cell lines (e.g., HEK293).

In some embodiments, the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides are expressed in mammalian cells. Mammalian expression systems are well known in the art, and include retroviral systems. Promoters from viral genes are frequently used in mammalian expression systems, because the viral genes are often highly expressed and have a broad host range. Examples include the SV40 early promoter, the mouse mammary tumor virus LTR promoter, the adenovirus major late promoter, the herpes simplex virus promoter, and the CMV promoter. Typically, transcription termination and polyadenylation sequences recognized by mammalian cells are regulatory regions located 3′ to the translation stop codon and thus, together with the promoter elements, flank the coding sequence. Examples of transcription terminator and polyadenylation signals include those derived from SV40.

Nucleic acid molecules encoding the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention may be cloned using standard molecular biological methods, including DNA amplification methods, such as the polymerase chain method (PCR) (see e.g., Sambrook et al. (1989)Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2nd ed., Cold Spring Harbour, N.Y.; Berger & Kimmel (1987) Methods in Enzymology. Vol. 152: Guide to Molecular Cloning Techniques, Academic Press, Inc., San Diego, Calif.; Co et al. (1992) J. Immunol

. 148:1149). Thus, for example, a nucleic acid molecule encoding a liver stage P. falciparum polypeptide may be PCR-amplified using a sense primer containing one restriction site and an antisense primer containing another restriction site. This will produce a nucleic acid encoding the desired sequence or subsequence having terminal restriction sites. This nucleic acid can then easily be ligated into a vector having appropriate corresponding restriction sites. Suitable PCR primers may be readily chosen by one of skill in the art based on the sequence to be expressed. Appropriate restriction sites can also be added by site-directed mutagenesis (see Gillman & Smith (1979) Gene 8: 81-97; Roberts et al. (1987) Nature 328: 731-4).

The methods of introducing exogenous nucleic acids into host cells are well known in the art, and will vary with the host cell used. Suitable techniques include, but are not limited to, dextran-mediated transfection, calcium phosphate precipitation, polybrene mediated transfection, protoplast fusion, electroporation, viral infection, encapsulation of the nucleic acids in liposomes, and direct microinjection of nucleic acids into nuclei.

In some embodiments, the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention are expressed in bacterial systems. Bacterial expression systems are well known in the art. Promoters from bacteriophage may also be used and are known in the art. In addition, synthetic promoters and hybrid promoters are also useful; for example, the tac promoter is a hybrid of the trp and lac promoter sequences. Furthermore, a bacterial promoter can include naturally-occurring promoters of non-bacterial origin that have the ability to bind bacterial RNA polymerase and initiate transcription. In addition to a functioning promoter sequence, an efficient ribosome binding site is desirable. The expression vector may also include a signal peptide sequence that provides for secretion of the expressed protein in bacteria. The expressed protein may be secreted into the growth medium (gram-positive bacteria) or into the periplasmic space, located between the inner and outer membrane of the cell (gram-negative bacteria). A bacterial expression vector may also include an epitope tag providing for affinity purification of the target protein. The bacterial expression vector may also include a selectable marker gene to allow for the selection of bacterial strains that have been transformed. Suitable selectable markers include genes that render transformed bacteria resistant to drugs such as ampicillin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, kanamycin, neomycin and tetracycline. Selectable markers also include biosynthetic genes, such as those in the histidine, tryptophan, and leucine biosynthetic pathways. These components are assembled into expression vectors. Expression vectors for bacteria are well known in the art, and include vectors for Bacillus subtilis, E. coli, Streptococcus cremoris, and Streptococcus lividanis, among others. The bacterial expression vectors are transformed into bacterial host cells using techniques well known in the art, such as calcium chloride treatment, electroporation, and others. An exemplary method for expressing placental P. falciparum polypeptides of the invention using a bacterial expression system is described in EXAMPLE 5.

The liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention may also be produced in insect cells. Expression vectors for the transformation of insect cells, and in particular, baculovirus-based expression vectors, are well known in the art. The liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides may also be produced in yeast cells. Yeast expression systems are well known in the art, and include expression vectors for Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans and C. maltosa, Hansenula polymorpha, Kluyveronzyces fragilis and K. lactis, Pichia guillerimondii and P. pastoris, Schizosaccharonyces pombe, and Yarrowia lipolytica.

The liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention may be produced in a cell-free expression system in vitro using an expression vector containing nucleic acid encoding a liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide, under the appropriate conditions to induce or cause expression of the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide in vitro. Cell-free in vitro expression systems are well known in the art. If necessary, conditions for co-translational sulfide-sulfide exchange and correct folding of disulfide bonds can be customized for the cell-free system (Lyubov et al. (1993) Nat. Biotechnol. 15(1):79-84). An exemplary method for expressing placental P. falciparum polypeptides of the invention using a cell-free in vitro expression system is described in EXAMPLE 5.

Historically, expression of P. falciparum proteins in heterologous organisms was found to be a significant challenge. The P. falciparum genome is one of the most A+T-rich of any genome known. As a consequence, P. falciparum uses a different repertoire of codons, which may result in low levels of expression in heterologous systems. In addition, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Pichia pastoris certain A+T-rich stretches of sequence can act as polyadenylation or transcription termination signals, resulting in the expression of low-level or truncated mRNA (Romanos et al. (1991) Nucl. Acids Res. 19(7):1461-7).

Advances made in the last seven years have drastically changed the situation for the better. What used to be a challenging and low success rate effort for some Plasmodium proteins is now a routine, mainstream molecular biological exercise. For example, Plasmodium coding sequences with an appropriate codon usage and increased G+C content may be synthesized. The principles of creation of synthetic genes are explicitly described in (Withers-Martinez et al. (1999) Protein Eng. 12(12):1113-20). These principles include: (1) decreasing the overall A+T content with the elimination of potential transcription termination signals, (2) eliminating palindromic sequences conducive to stable hairpins, and (3) minimizing tandem or inverted repeats (<10 bp in length) that are likely to give rise to non-specific priming. Additionally, at the synthesis step putative N-linked glycosylation sites are removed to mimic P. falciparum polypeptide structures lacking any glycosylation.

There is a long list of P. falciparum proteins successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris (see, e.g., Withers-Martinez et al. (1999) Protein Eng. 12(12):1113-20; Milek et al. (2000) Vaccine 18(14):1402-11; Brady et al. (2001) Protein Expr. Purif. 23(3):468-75; Kocken et al. (2002) Infect. Immun. 70(8):4471-6; Zhang et al. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277(51):49767-75; Yadava & Ockenhouse (2003) Infect. Immun. 71(9):4961-9; Wang et al. (2005) Biotechnol. Bioeng. 90(7):838-47; Pan et al. (2004) J. Immunol. 172(10):6167-74; Tsai et al. (2006) J. Biotechnol. 121(4):458-70). Moreover, malarial proteins produced in P. pastoris can be purified to produce clinical grade products (see, e.g., Malkin et al. (2005) Infect. Immun. 73(6):3677-85). A detailed protocol describing how to clone and express protein in Pichia pastoris is available from Invitrogen as a part of EasySelect Pichia Expression Kit, product #K1740-01. This commercially available kit facilitates the whole expression procedure starting with a DNA sequence and finishing with the expressed protein. An exemplary method for expressing liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention in P. pastoris is described in EXAMPLE 6.

Bacterial expression is another promising approach to produce clinical grade recombinant Plasmodium proteins for potential vaccine applications (see, e.g., Dutta et al. (2006) Infect. Immun. 70(6):3101-10; Shimp et al. (2006) Protein Expr. Purif. Jun. 27, 2006 [Epub ahead of print]; Hillier et al. (2005) Infect. Immun. 73(4):2109-15; Darko et al. (2005) Infect. Immun. 73(1)287-97; Nardin et al. (2004) Infect. Immun. 73(11):6519-27; Chen et al. (2004) Vaccine 22(21-22):2701-12; Zhou et al. (2004) Protein Expr. Purif. 34(1):87-94; Singh et al. (2003) Infect. Immun. 71(12):6766-74). Similar to yeast expression, re-synthesis of the gene to optimize codon representation improved the yield and solubility of recombinant proteins (Hillier et al. (2005) Infect. Immun. 73(4):2109-15). Refolding of the recombinant proteins may be used to produce functional epitopes.

The liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention and immunogenic derivatives thereof may also be made as a fusion proteins, using techniques that are well known in the art. For example, a liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides may be made as a fusion protein to increase expression or to link it with a tag polypeptide that provides an epitope to which an anti-tag antibody can selectively bind. An epitope tag is generally placed at the amino-or carboxyl-terminus of the target protein. The presence of such epitope-tagged forms of an expressed protein can be detected using an antibody against the tag polypeptide. Thus, the epitope tag enables the expressed proteins to be readily purified by affinity purification using an anti-tag antibody or another type of affinity matrix that binds to the epitope tag. Various tag polypeptides and their respective antibodies are well known in the art. Exemplary tags include, but are not limited to, poly-histidine (poly-his) or poly-histidine-glycine (poly-his-gly) tags; the influenza HA tag polypeptide and its antibody 12CA5 (Field et al. (1988) Mol. Cell. Biol. 8:2159-65); the c-myc tag and the 8F9, 3C7, 6E10, G4, B7 and 9E10 antibodies thereto (Evan et al. (1985) Mol. Cell. Biol. 5:3610-6); and the Herpes Simplex virus glycoprotein D (gD) tag and its antibody (Paborsky et al. (1990) Prot. Eng. 3(6):547-53). Other tag polypeptides include the Flag-peptide (Hopp et al. (1988) BioTechnol. 6:1204-10); the KT3 epitope peptide (Martin et al. (1992) Science 255:192-4); tubulin epitope peptide (Skinner et al. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266:15163-6); and the T7 gene 10 protein peptide tag (Lutz-Freyermuth et al. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:6393-7).

Covalent modifications of liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides (including immunogenic derivatives thereof) are included within the scope of this invention. One type of covalent modification includes reacting targeted amino acid residues of a protein with an organic derivatizing agent that is capable of reacting with selected side chains or the N- or C-terminal residues of the protein. Derivatization with bifunctional agents is useful, for instance, for crosslinking a protein to a water-insoluble support matrix or surface for use in screening assays. Commonly used crosslinking agents include, but are not limited to, 1,1-bis(diazoacetyl)-2-phenylethane, glutaraldehyde, N-hydroxysuccinimide esters, for example, esters with 4-azidosalicylic acid, homobifunctional imidoesters, including disuccinimidyl esters such as 3,3′-dithiobis(succinimidylpropionate), bifunctional maleimides such as bis-N-maleimido-1,8-octane and agents such as methyl-3-[(p-azidophenyl)dithio]propioimidate.

The liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention (including immunogenic derivatives thereof) may be purified or isolated after expression. The terms “isolated” “purified” or “biologically pure” refer to material that is substantially or essentially free from components that normally accompany it as found in its native state. Purity and homogeneity are typically determined using analytical chemistry techniques such as polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis or high performance liquid chromatography. A protein that is the predominant species present in a preparation is considered to be substantially purified. The term “purified” denotes that a protein gives rise to essentially one band in an electrophoretic gel. For example, it means that the protein is at least 85% pure, such as at least 95% pure or at least 99% pure. The term “isolated polypeptides” also includes polypeptides in situ within recombinant host cells, since at least one component of the polypeptide natural environment will not be present. Generally, however, an isolated polypeptide is prepared using at least one purification step.

The liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention may be isolated or purified in a variety of ways known to those skilled in the art depending on what other components are present in the sample. Standard purification methods include electrophoretic, molecular, immunological, and chromatographic techniques, including ion exchange, hydrophobic, affinity, and reverse-phase HPLC chromatography, and chromatofocusing. For example, a protein may be purified using an antibody column. Ultrafiltration and diafiltration techniques, in conjunction with protein concentration, are also useful. Suitable purification techniques are standard in the art (see generally R. Scopes (1982) Protein Purification, Springer-Verlag, N.Y.; Deutcher (1990) Methods in Enzymology vol. 182: Guide to Protein Purification, Academic Press, Inc. N.Y.). The degree of purification necessary will vary depending on the use of the polypeptide. In some instances no purification may be necessary.

Some embodiments of the invention provide synthetic liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides. Polypeptides having up to about 100-150 amino acid residues may be prepared by in vitro synthesis using established techniques. Synthetic polypeptides may be prepared by chemical synthesis (such as solid phase peptide synthesis) using methods known in the art, such as those described in Merrifield et al. (1964) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 85:2149, Houghten et al. (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 82:51:32, and Stewart& Young (1984) Solid phase peptide synthesis, Pierce Chem Co., Rockford, Ill. Such polypeptides may be synthesized with or without a methionine at the amino terminus. Chemically-synthesized liver stage Plasmodium proteins of the invention and immunogenic derivatives thereof may be oxidized using methods set forth in these references to form disulfide bridges. Further, peptidomimetics that structurally and/or functionally resemble a polypeptide embodiment may be made. Several approaches to make peptidomimetics that resemble polypeptides have been described (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,288,707; 5,552,534; 5,811,515; 5,817,626; 5,817,879; 5,821,231; and 5,874,529).

Another aspect of the invention provides isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention. Thus, some embodiments provide an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48 and immunogenic derivatives thereof. For example, the nucleic acid molecule may encode a P. falciparum polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:11-44 and immunogenic derivatives thereof. The term “isolated nucleic acid molecule” refers to a nucleic acid molecule, DNA or RNA, that has been removed from its native environment. For example, recombinant nucleic acids contained in a vector are considered isolated for the purposes of the present invention. Examples of isolated nucleic acid molecules include recombinant DNA molecules maintained in heterologous host cells or purified (partially or substantially) DNA molecules in solution. Isolated RNA molecules include in vivo or in vitro RNA transcripts of the DNA molecules of the present invention. Isolated nucleic acid molecules according to the present invention further include such molecules produced synthetically.

Isolated nucleic acid molecules of the present invention include DNA molecules comprising an open reading frame (ORF) encoding liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides or immunogenic derivatives thereof. The sequence of these nucleic acid molecules may be different to the any naturally-occurring sequences encoding the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention but that, due to the degeneracy of the genetic code, still encode a liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide. Of course, the genetic code is well known in the art. Thus, it would be routine for one skilled in the art to generate such degenerate variants.

Another aspect of the invention provides expression vectors encoding the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention. Another aspect of the invention provides host cells comprising expression vectors encoding the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention.

Yet another aspect of the invention provides antibodies that bind specifically to the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention (including immunogenic derivatives thereof). The term “antibody” refers to an intact immunoglobulin, or to an antigen- binding portion of an immunoglobulin that competes with the intact antibody for specific binding to a protein or fragment of a protein of the present invention. Exemplary antibodies include polyclonal, monoclonal, humanized, bispecific, and heteroconjugate antibodies. Antigen-binding portions of an immunoglobulin of the present invention may be produced by various techniques including, but not limited to recombinant DNA techniques and enzymatic or chemical cleavage of intact antibodies.

An “isolated antibody” as used herein is an antibody that (1) is not associated with components that are naturally associated with it, including other antibodies that accompany it in its native state, (2) is free of other proteins from the same species, (3) is expressed by a cell from a different species, or (4) does not occur in nature. The terms “bind specifically” and “specific binding” refer to the ability of an antibody of the present invention to bind to a first molecular species in preference to binding to other molecular species with which the antibody and first molecular species are admixed. An antibody is said specifically to “recognize” a first molecular species when it can bind specifically to that first molecular species. In the present invention the first molecular species is a liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide of the invention.

Methods of preparing polyclonal antibodies are known to the skilled artisan. Polyclonal antibodies may be raised in a mammal, for example, by one or more injections of an immunizing agent and, if desired, an adjuvant. Typically, the immunizing agent and/or adjuvant will be injected in the mammal by multiple subcutaneous or intraperitoneal injections. The immunizing agent may include a fall-length liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide of the invention or an immunogenic derivative thereof. It may be useful to conjugate the immunizing agent to a protein known to be immunogenic in the mammal being immunized. Examples of such immunogenic proteins include, but are not limited to, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, serum albumin, bovine thyroglobulin, and soybean trypsin inhibitor. Examples of adjuvants that may be used include Freund's complete adjuvant and MPL-TDM adjuvant (monophosphoryl Lipid A, synthetic trehalose dicorynomycolate). The immunization protocol may be selected by one skilled in the art without undue experimentation.

Monoclonal antibodies may be prepared using hybridoma methods, such as those described by Kohler& Milstein (1975) Nature 256:495. In a hybridoma method, a mouse, hamster, or other appropriate host animal, is typically immunized with an immunizing agent to elicit lymphocytes that produce or are capable of producing antibodies that will specifically bind to the immunizing agent. Alternatively, the lymphocytes may be immunized in vitro. Suitable immortalized cell lines for the production of monoclonal antibodies are well-known in the art (see, e.g., Goding (1986) Monoclonal Antibodies: Principles and Practice, Academic Press, pp. 59-103; Kozbor (1984) J. Immunol. 133:3001; Brodeur et al. (1987) Monoclonal Antibody Production Techniques and Applications, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, pp. 51-63).

The binding specificity of monoclonal antibodies produced by the hybridoma cells may be determined by immunoprecipitation or by an in vitro binding assay, such as radioimmunoassay (RIA) or enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA). Such techniques and assays are well known in the art. The binding affinity of the monoclonal antibody may, for example, be determined by the Scatchard analysis of Munson & Pollard (1980) Anal. Biochem. 107:220.

The monoclonal antibodies may be isolated or purified from the culture medium or ascites fluid by conventional immunoglobulin purification procedures such as, for example, protein A-sepharose, hydroxylapatite chromatography, gel electrophoresis, dialysis, or affinity chromatography.

The monoclonal antibodies may also be made by recombinant DNA methods, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567, herein incorporated by reference. Monoclonal antibodies may be isolated using phage display libraries (Hoogenboom & Winter (1991) J. Mol. Biol. 227:381; Marks et al. (1991) J. Mol. Biol. 222:581).

The antibodies of the invention may be monovalent antibodies. Methods for preparing monovalent antibodies are well known in the art. For example, one method involves recombinant expression of immunoglobulin light chain and modified heavy chain. The heavy chain is truncated generally at any point in the Fc region so as to prevent heavy chain crosslinking. Alternatively, relevant cysteine residues are substituted with another amino acid residue or are deleted so as to prevent crosslinking. In vitro methods are also suitable for preparing monovalent antibodies. Digestion of antibodies to produce fragments thereof, particularly, Fab fragments, can be accomplished using routine techniques known in the art.

The antibodies may also be human or humanized antibodies, bispecific antibodies, or heteroconjugate antibodies. Methods for preparing human or humanized antibodies, bispecific antibodies, or heteroconjugate antibodies are well known in the art and described, for example, in Desnoyers et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,084,258, herein incorporated by reference.

The antibodies that specifically bind to the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention may be used in diagnostic assays, for example, to detect the presence of liver stage malaria parasites, or as therapeutic or prophylactic agents for treating or preventing infection by Plasmodium. The term “therapeutic agent” refers to an agent capable of treating a malaria infection. The term “prophylactic agent” refers to an agent capable of preventing an infection by P. falciparum.

In some embodiments, the antibodies may be used to treat subjects at risk of developing or suffering from malaria by passive immunization. In general, this will comprise administering a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of one or more antibodies of the present invention to a subject susceptible to malaria or a subject exhibiting a malaria infection. Any active form of the antibody may be administered, including Fab and F(ab′)₂ fragments. Treatment of individuals having a malaria infection may comprise the administration of a therapeutically effective amount of antibodies of the present invention. The dosage of administered antibodies will vary depending upon such factors as the patient's age, weight, height, sex, general medical condition, previous medical history, as well as other factors know to those of skill in the art. An appropriate effective amount may be readily determined using only routine experimentation. Effective amounts and routes of administration for therapeutic and prophylactic applications are further described below.

Another aspect of the invention provides compositions comprising one or more liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Thus, some embodiments provide an immunogenic composition comprising a liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48 and immunogenic derivatives thereof. For example, the isolated polypeptide may be a P. falciparum polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:11-44 and immunogenic derivatives thereof. In some embodiments, the immunogenic compositions comprise at least two liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48, and immunogenic derivatives thereof.

In some embodiments, the compositions of the invention are immunogenic compositions for inducing immune responses, such as vaccine compositions. A “vaccine” is an immunogenic composition capable of eliciting protection against infection by Plasmodium parasites and/or malarial disease, whether partial or complete. A vaccine that is used for treatment of an infected individual may be referred to as a therapeutic vaccine. The immunogenic compositions of the invention may also be used to elicit antibodies in a species that is not infectable by P. falciparum, for example, to raise antibodies in rabbits or mice.

In addition to one or more liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention, the compositions of the invention may include other antigens. For example, the compositions may include antigens based on the Plasmodium circumsporozoite protein used currently in the RTS,S vaccine (see Matuschewski (2006) Curr. Op. Immunol. 18:1-9).

The invention further provides methods for preparing an immunogenic composition, by suspending and packaging one or more liver stage P. falciparum polypeptides of the invention in a suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carrier include sterile water or sterile physiological salt solution, particularly phosphate buffered saline (PBS), as is well known in the art.

The immunogenic compositions of the invention generally also include an adjuvant. Suitable adjuvants are well known in the art (see, for example, Vaccine Design—The Subunit and Adjuvant Approach (1995) Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Volume 6 (eds. Powell, M. F., & Newman, M. J.) Plenum Press, New York and London, ISBN 0-306-44867-X). Exemplary adjuvants include complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) that is not used in humans, incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA), squalene, squalane and alum (e.g., Alhydrogel™, Superfos, Denmark), which are materials well known in the art, and are available commercially from several sources. Other exemplary adjuvants include the adjuvants described in Lanar et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,029,685, and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0073171, herein incorporated by reference.

In some embodiments, the immunogenic composition is a vaccine composition. Vaccine preparation is generally described in New Trends and Developments in Vaccine (eds. Voller et al.), University Park Press, Baltimore, Md., U.S.A., 1978. Encapsulation within liposomes is described, for example, by Fullerton, U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,877. Conjugation of proteins to macromolecules is disclosed, for example, by Likhite, U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,945 and by Armor et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,757.

The amount of immunogen(s) present in each vaccine dose is selected as an amount that induces an immune response (such as an immunoprotective response) without significant adverse side effects. The term “immune response” refers to an acquired and enhanced degree of protective immunity against Plasmodium infection or malarial disease, for example, complete or partial protection against infection or disease following subsequent exposure to malaria parasites. The amount of immunogen present in each dose will vary depending upon which specific immunogens are employed, and other factors. Generally, it is expected that each dose will comprise a total of 1-1000 micrograms of protein, such as 1-200 micrograms or 10-100 micrograms or 5-50 micrograms of protein. Following an initial vaccination, subjects will generally receive one or more boosts. An optimal amount for a particular vaccine, as well as the number and frequency of boosts, may be determined empirically by standard studies involving observation of immune responses in subjects.

The vaccine compositions of the invention may be administered by any suitable method of administration known in the art, including, but not limited to, intradermally, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, intraperitoneally, orally, ocularly (e.g., as an eye spray), and intravenously. Vaccines are conventionally administered parenterally, by injection, for example, either subcutaneously or intramuscularly. Additional formulations that are suitable for other modes of administration include suppositories and, in some cases, oral formulations or nasal sprays. For suppositories, traditional binders and carriers may include, for example, polyalkalene glycols or triglycerides. Oral formulations include such normally employed excipients as, for example, pharmaceutical grades of mannitol, lactose, starch, magnesium stearate, sodium saccharine, cellulose, magnesium carbonate and the like.

In some embodiments, the vaccine compositions of the invention are DNA vaccines comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding one or more liver stage P. falciparum polypeptides of the invention. Thus, some embodiments provide an immunogenic composition comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein the polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48 and immunogenic derivatives thereof. For example, the nucleic acid molecule may encode a P. falciparum polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:11-48 and immunogenic derivatives thereof. The immunogenic composition may additionally comprise a nucleic acid coding for other antigens, for example, antigens based on the Plasmodium circumsporozoite protein used currently in the RTS,S vaccine (see Matuschewski (2006) Curr. Op. Immunol. 18:1-9).

Methods for preparing and administering a DNA vaccine expressing Plasmodium proteins are known in the art and have been previously described (see, e.g., Doolan & Hoffman (2001) Int. J. Parasitol. 31:753-62; Narum et al., U.S. Pat. No.7,078,507, herein incorporated by reference. In some embodiments, the vaccine compositions of the invention are viral vaccines comprising a viral vector encoding one or more liver stage P. falciparum polypeptides of the invention. Exemplary viral vectors for use in the vaccine compositions of the invention include, but are not limited to, vaccinia viral vectors (such as vectors based on modified vaccinia virus or avian pox viruses), adenoviral vectors, and yellow fever viral vectors (see, e.g., Imoukhuede et al. (2006) Vaccine, in press; Miao et al. (2006) Vaccine, in press; Tao et al. (2005) J. Exp. Med. 201:201-9). Methods for preparing and administering viral vaccines expressing Plasmodium proteins are known in the art and have been previously described (see, e.g., Inoukhuede et al. (2006) Vaccine, in press; Miao et al. (2006) Vaccine, in press; Tao et al. (2005) J. Exp. Med. 201:201-9). An exemplary method for preparing a DNA vaccine encoding a liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide of the invention is provided in EXAMPLE7.

In another aspect, the invention provides genetically attenuated sporozoites from which at least one gene coding for a liver stage polypeptides of the invention has been eliminated. Thus, in some embodiments, the invention provides genetically attenuated Plasmodium sporozoites lacking a gene coding for a liver stage polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48. The gene coding for a liver stage polypeptide may be a gene coding for a P. falciparum polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:11-44. Methods for preparing genetically attenuated Plasmodium sporozoites lacking a liver stage gene have been previously described (see, e.g., Mueller et al. (2005) Nature 433:164-7; Mueller et al. (2005) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102:3022-7; Kappe et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0226896, herein incorporated by reference).

Another aspect of the invention provides methods for inducing an immune response against liver stage P. falciparum parasites, comprising administering an immunogenic composition comprising an effective amount of one or more liver stage P. falciparum polypeptides of the invention. Thus, in some embodiments the invention provides a method for inducing an immune response in a mammalian subject against Plasmodium falciparum, comprising administering to a mammalian subject a composition comprising an effective amount of at least one isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48 and immunogenic derivatives thereof. For example, the isolated polypeptide may be a P. falciparum polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:11-44 and immunogenic derivatives thereof. As used herein, the term “mammalian subjects” include, but is not limited to, humans, goats, rabbits, and mice. In some embodiments the mammalian subject is a human subject.

Another aspect of the invention provides methods for treating a mammalian subject in need thereof, comprising administering to a mammalian subject in need thereof an immunogenic composition comprising an effective amount of one or more liver stage P. falciparum polypeptides of the invention. Thus, in some embodiments the invention provides methods for treating a human subject in need thereof, comprising administering to a human subject an immunogenic composition comprising at least one isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-48 and immunogenic derivatives thereof. For example, the isolated polypeptide may be a P. falciparum polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:11-44 and immunogenic derivatives thereof.

The invention also provides methods for inducing an immune response against P. falciparum parasites, comprising administering a live, genetically attenuated Plasmodium organism that is genetically engineered to disrupt a gene encoding a liver stage P. falciparum polypeptides of the invention. Methods for administering live, genetically attenuated Plasmodium organisms and inducing an immune response against Plasmodium parasites have been previously described (see, e.g., Mueller et al. (2005) Nature 433:164-7; Mueller et al. (2005) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102:3022-7; Kappe et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0226896, herein incorporated by reference).

The term “treating” refers to both therapeutic treatment and prophylactic or preventative measures, wherein the object is to prevent or slow down (lessen) the targeted pathologic condition or disease. Those in need of treatment include those already with the disease as well as those prone to have the disease or those in whom the disease is to be prevented. In some embodiments, the subjects to be treated are human subjects suffering from malaria, such as, for example, liver stage malaria. In some embodiments, the subjects to be treated are human subjects at risk for contracting malaria. The subjects to be treated may or may not have previously been infected by Plasmodium parasites.

The term “effective amount” for a therapeutic or prophylactic treatment refers to an amount or dosage of a composition sufficient to induce a desired response (e.g., an immunogenic response) in the individual to which it is administered. Preferably, the effective amount is sufficient to effect treatment, as defined above. The effective amount and method of administration of a particular therapeutic or prophylactic treatment may vary based on the individual patient and the stage of the disease, as well as other factors known to those of skill in the art. Therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of such compounds may be determined by standard pharmaceutical procedures in cell cultures or experimental animals, e.g., ED50 (the dose therapeutically effective in 50% of the population) and LD50 (the dose lethal to 50% of the population). The dose ratio of toxic to therapeutic effects is the therapeutic index, and it can be expressed as the ratio, LD50/ED50. Pharmaceutical compositions that exhibit large therapeutic indices are preferred. The data obtained from cell culture assays and animal studies is used in formulating a range of dosages for human use. The dosage of such compounds lies preferably within a range of circulating concentrations that include the ED50 with little or no toxicity. The dosage varies within this range depending upon the dosage form employed, sensitivity of the patient, and the route of administration.

The exact dosage is chosen by the individual physician in view of the patient to be treated. Dosage and administration are adjusted to provide sufficient levels of the active moiety or to maintain the desired effect. Additional factors that may be taken into account include the prevalence of P. falciparum in the geographical vicinity of the patient, the severity of the disease state of the patient, age, and weight of the patient, diet, time and frequency of administration, drug combination(s), reaction sensitivities, and tolerance/response to therapy. An appropriate effective amount may be readily determined using only routine experimentation. Several doses may be needed per individual in order to achieve a sufficient response to effect treatment. Suitable regimes for initial administration and follow-up administration (e.g., booster shots) are also variable, but are typified by an initial administration followed in intervals (weeks or months) by a subsequent administration.

The production of antibodies elicited by a treatment is readily ascertained by obtaining a plasma or serum sample from the subject to which an immunogenic composition is administered, and assaying the antibodies therein for their ability to bind to the polypeptide(s) used to elicit the immune response to P. falciparum parasites, such as liver stage parasites. Exemplary methods include, but are not limited to, ELISA assays, immunofluorescence assays (IFA), or other immunoassays such as a Western blots, as is well known in the art.

Antibodies to one or more of the liver stage P. falciparum parasites of the invention may be isolated from the blood of the mammalian subject using well-known techniques, and then reconstituted into a second vaccine for passive immunization, as is also well known. Similar techniques are used for gamma-globulin immunizations of humans. For example, antiserum from one or a number of immunized subjects may be precipitated in aqueous ammonium sulfate (typically at 40-50 percent of saturation), and the precipitated antibodies purified chromatographically (e.g., affinity chromatography).

In another aspect, the invention provides diagnostic and screening agents and assays, which may be protein-based or nucleic acid-based. These agents and assays may be used to detect the presence of the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention, or nucleic acid molecules encoding them, in order to determine whether a subject is suffering from or is likely to suffer from malaria. Many techniques may be used, including, but not limited to, ELISA, sandwich assays, immunoprecipation, inmmunoblots, hybridization techniques, and PCR.

In some embodiments, the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention are used for the detection of antibodies in a mammalian subject. In some embodiments, antibodies to the liver stage Plasmodium polypeptides of the invention are used to detect the presence of these polypeptides. Diagnostic immunoassay procedures are standard in the art (see, e.g., Basic and Clinical Immunology (1991) 7th ed., Stites, D., & Terr, A.). Exemplary methods may, for example, use solid supports, or immunoprecipitation. Most assays involve the use of labeled antibody or polypeptide. Such labels may be, for example, enzymatic, fluorescent, chemiluminescent, radioactive, or dye molecules. Assays that amplify the signals from the immune complex are also known, such as assays that utilize biotin and avidin or streptavidin, and enzyme-labeled and mediated immunoassays, such as ELISA assays.

Some embodiments provide methods for the in vitro diagnosis of malaria in a subject likely to be infected by P. falciparum, comprising (a) contacting a biological sample comprising antibodies from a mammalian subject with one or more liver stage P. falciparum polypeptides of the invention under conditions enabling the formation of antigen/antibody complexes between the polypeptides and the antibodies, and (b) detecting the formation of antigen/antibody complexes. Examples of biological samples that may be used to perform this method are red blood cells, white blood cells, serum or urine. Conditions enabling the formation of antigen/antibody complexes are well known in the art.

The invention also provides methods for monitoring the immune status of a subject vaccinated against infection or disease caused by P. falciparum, comprising (a) contacting a biological sample comprising antibodies from a subject with one or more liver stage P. falciparum polypeptides of the invention under conditions enabling the formation of antigen/antibody complexes between the polypeptides and the antibodies, and (b) detecting the formation of antigen/antibody complexes.

In the diagnostic and monitoring methods described above, the biological sample may be further contacted with one or several antigenic peptides originating from other Plasmodium antigens.

In some embodiments, the diagnostic and screening agents and assays are nucleic acid-based. Exemplary diagnostic and screening agents for use in nucleic acid-based assays include nucleic acid probes complementary to nucleic acid molecules encoding P. falciparum polypeptides of the invention. Nucleic-acid based diagnostic and screening assays are well known in the art. Exemplary diagnostic and screening assays to be used in this aspect of the invention are described in Scherf et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,855,323, herein incorporated by reference.

The invention also provides kits which are useful for carrying out the present invention. The kits may include a first container means containing the polypeptides, nucleic acid molecules, compositions, and/or antibodies of the invention. The kits may also include other container means containing solutions necessary or convenient for carrying out the invention. The container means may be made of glass, plastic or foil and can be a vial, bottle, pouch, tube, bag, etc. The kits may also contain written information, such as procedures for carrying out the present invention or analytical information, such as the amount of reagent contained in the first container means. The container means may be in another container means, for example, a box or a bag, along with the written information.

The following examples illustrate representative embodiments now contemplated for practicing the invention, but should not be construed to limit the invention.

EXAMPLE 1

This Example describes the identification of a novel conserved Plasmodium yoeliiprotein that is differentially expressed during liver stage development.

One of the most important questions regarding liver stage biology is if this stage differentially expresses a unique set of proteins. However, because the liver stage is difficult to track experimentally this question has remained largely unanswered. This Example describes a gene that is differentially expressed in livers stages of the rodent malaria Plasmodium yoelii in vivo, and its protein product (PyLSP1). Bioinformatics analysis, PCR and RT-PCR elucidated the complete gene structure and identified a PyLSP1 ortholog in P. falciparum. RT-PCR and immunoassays showed that PyLSP1 expression is up-regulated in late liver stages in vivo but that it is not significantly expressed in sporozoites and the parasites blood stages.

Materials and Methods

Microarray Studies:

Liver total RNA was isolated from BALB/c mouse liver infected with >3 million P. yoelii wild type sporozoites using Trizol (Invitrogen). Blood stage RNA was obtained from blood stage infections in Swiss-Webster mice when the parasitemia reached 5%. The RNA was treated with DNAse (Invitrogen) to remove genomic DNA contamination. About 20 microgram of total RNA was used for cDNA synthesis and indirectly labeled with fluorescent Cy3 or Cy 5 dyes using the Fairplay labeling kit from Stratagene. Cy3 and Cy5 labeled cDNA were hybridized overnight to a custom 65-mer oligo array made by Lawrence Bergman's group at Drexel University that had duplicate probes for all ˜6500 annotated genes of P. yoelii. After washes, the microarray slide was scanned using a GenePix scanner and results were analyzed using Acuity software. Intensity signals of each spot were normalized and compared to a spot with random oligos (negative control). The threshold for detection of an expressed gene was set at four times the intensity signal of the negative control. Microarray analysis was performed on total RNA from infected liver 40 hrs post infection, uninfected liver, and from mixed blood stages.

Our candidate genes for analysis were chosen as follows: high expression in the 40 hrs. infected liver, low or no expression in mixed blood stages, possible orthology with a P. falciparum gene, and the presence of a signal peptide. The presence of a signal peptide is an indicator that the protein encoded by the gene may be secreted and thus may play important roles in host-parasite interactions. The candidate genes were then analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR as described in EXAMPLE 2.

Protein expression studies: The location of putative immunogenic peptides were identified using various programs available on the web for secondary structure prediction of proteins. Peptide 2 (KDDYSKNNGKDSLVCC, SEQ ID NO:49) and Peptide 5 (CNLKYLLLHHTNAFLC, SEQ ID NO:50) were synthesized by a commercial company (Sigma-Genosys). Two New Zealand white rabbits were used for antibody production by Sigma Genosys. The peptides were injected subcutaneously with Freund's adjuvant following a 77-day schedule with 6 immunizations and 4 bleeds per animal. The peptide antibodies were used for immunofluorescence and immunoblot analysis of LSP1, using standard protocols.

Results

LSP1 identification and expression: Using microarray gene expression profiling, we identified genes that are only expressed at 40 hours of P. yoelii LS development in vivo (Tables 1 and 2). One uniquely expressed gene is PyLSP1 encoding a hypothetical protein with a predicted molecular mass of ˜380 kDa. The P. yoelii gene product contains a predicted cleavable signal peptide and a transmembrane domain. BLAST homology searches with the PyLSP1 amino acid sequence were performed to identify orthologous genes in P. falciparum and P. berghei using the PlasmoDB and Sanger Center databases, respectively. Potential orthologs were found in both P. falciparum and P. berghei parasites. The gene identification number for P. yoelii PyLSP1 is PY04499 (SEQ ID NO. 1), for P. falciparum PyLSP1 is Pf14_(—)0179 (SEQ ID NO:11), and for P. berghei PyLSP1 is gi 68075600.

LSP1 is expressed in late liver stages: We investigated the expression of PyLSP1 by RT-PCR and qRT-PCR in different stages of parasite development using specific primers. PyLSP1 was detected in infected liver samples taken at 40 hours post-infection. These results showed also that PyLSP1 is down-regulated in sporozoites, early liver stages and blood stages (see Table 1, below). To study the protein expression pattern of PyLSP1 we raised antisera against two independent peptides in a region of high predicted antigenicity. Immuno-colocalization analysis showed that PyLSP1 is highly expressed by LS in liver sections taken at 44 hours post-infection. A faint internal staining is present in LS 24 hours after infection. PyLSP1 appears to localize to the parasitophorous vacuole. No expression was detected in sporozoites, blood stages or early LS. Immuno-colocalization data are in concordance with the RT-PCR data PyLSP1 is present in the late LS but not early LS.

EXAMPLE 2

This Example describes the identification of novel Plasmodium yoelii proteins that are differentially expressed during liver stage development.

Materials and Methods

a. RNA preparation: Total RNA was prepared from mixed blood stages, salivary gland sporozoites and Plasmodium yoelii infected mouse liver using Trizol (Invitrogen) according to manufacturer's instructions. Total RNA from mixed blood stages and infected mouse liver were treated with Turbo-free RNase (Ambion) while total RNA from sporozoites was treated with RNase-free DNase (Invitrogen) according to manufacturer's instructions. The treated RNA were cleaned using the RNeasy mini kit (Qiagen). The RNA concentration was measured by spectrophotometry and RNA quality was verified using the Agilent Bioanalyzer.

b. Primer design: Primers were designed using the primer analysis software Primer Express v2.0 and v3.0 (Applied Biosystems). Designs were based on the mRNA sequence of the genes available at PlasmoDB. Amplicons were set to be between 100 and 250 bp.

c. Conventional and real-time RT-PCR: For conventional RT-PCR, 2.5 microliter of the diluted cDNA was used for each 25 microliter PCR reaction with 2.5 microliter of diluted cDNA, 25 pmole of each primer, and 12.5 microliter of the Bioline Red PCR mix (Bioline) using the following cycling conditions: initial denaturation at 95° C. for 3 min; 30 cycles at 94° C. for 30 sec, 55° C. for 45 sec and 72° C. for 1 min; and final extension at 72° C. for 7 min.

Real time PCR analysis was performed on ABI prism 7300 Sequence Detection Systems using the SYBR Green PCR Master Mix (Applied Biosystems). The PCR reaction consisted of 12.5 microliter of SYBR Green PCR Master Mix, 20 pmole of forward and reverse primers, and 5 microliter of diluted cDNA in a total volume of 25 microliter. PCR cycling conditions were performed using the default conditions of the ABI Prism 7300 SDS Software. To verify that the PCR amplified product is unique, a dissociation protocol was added after the PCR from 65° C. to 95° C. For each primer pair, no template control, a standard curve of four serial dilutions of a 40 hr infected liver+mixed blood stages cDNA mixture, and each of the test cDNAs (mixed blood stages, 12-, 24-, 40-hr liver and salivary gland sporozoite) were included.

d. Normalization and relative quantitation: The five different RNA samples were normalized to P. yoelii 18S and 14-3-3 protein housekeeping gene using the Relative Standard Curve Method (Applied Biosystems bulletin). The standard is prepared from a mixture of total RNA from mixed blood stages and infected mouse liver (1:1). First strand cDNA is prepared from this mixture of total RNA. Dilutions of 1, 1:5, 1:10, 1:25 and 1:50 of the resulting cDNA were used as templates for real time PCR for each primer pair. The relative quantity of each amplified gene product from the test cDNAs is interpolated from the corresponding standard curve. Because quantitation is normalized to 18S and 14-3-3 housekeeping gene, standard curves are prepared for both the target as well as the reference genes (18S and 14-3-3). Normalized quantity of each target gene is expressed as the ratio of the relative amount of target gene over each of the reference genes to get the different normalized values. Fold change expression compared to mixed blood stages is then calculated by getting the ratio of the normalized expression value of each gene in the different test cDNAs to the normalized expression value of the gene in mixed blood stages (i.e., fold expression in mixed blood is set at a value of 1).

Results

Ten P. yoelii genes were found to be specifically expressed in liver stages. Nine of these genes have orthologs in P. falciparum, as shown in Table 1. The expression pattern in liver stages of these ten genes is shown in Table 2.

TABLE 1 Liver stage genes identified in EXAMPLES 1 and 2 P. falciparum P. yoelii gene SEQ ID NO ortholog SEQ ID NO PY04499 SEQ ID NO: 1 PF14_0179 SEQ ID NO: 11 PY04387 SEQ ID NO: 2 PFD0260c SEQ ID NO: 12 PY02416 SEQ ID NO: 3 PFI1125c SEQ ID NO: 13 PY01586 SEQ ID NO: 4 PF13_0128 SEQ ID NO: 14 PY03769 SEQ ID NO: 5 MAL13P1.66 SEQ ID NO: 15 PY03462 SEQ ID NO: 6 PF10_0027 SEQ ID NO: 16 PY05006 SEQ ID NO: 7 MAL8P1.201 SEQ ID NO: 17 PY00696 SEQ ID NO: 8 PFE1450c SEQ ID NO: 18 PY03269 SEQ ID NO: 9 PF11_0480 SEQ ID NO: 19 PY03831 SEQ ID NO: 10 none

TABLE 2 Expression pattern of liver stage genes identified in EXAMPLES 1 and 2 Fold change compared to mixed blood stages using 18S Fold change compared to mixed blood stages using 14-3-3 gene mixed 12 hr 24 hr 40 hr mixed 12 hr 24 hr 40 hr Py Gene Exp blood schizont sporozoite liver liver liver blood schizont sporozoite liver liver liver PY04499 40 1 0.6 12.8 443.0 1274.7 884.5 1.0 0.9 12.0 126.7 909.3 95.8 PY04387 40 1 1.7 41.4 83.8 3095.7 12518.4 1.0 2.5 30.6 22.4 974.5 3847.6 PY02416 40 1 1.0 146.0 80.1 209.4 1072.2 1.0 1.1 66.6 18.1 51.5 565.3 PY01586 40 1 2.7 77.2 194.5 108.7 153.1 1.0 3.6 20.1 11.6 17.7 47.1 PY03769 24 1 1.5 3015.6 56.9 86.3 45.1 1.0 1.9 1194.1 14.6 21.7 14.4 PY03462 40 1 9.6 67.1 45.0 59.2 8.3 1.0 10.6 30.6 10.2 14.6 4.4 PY05006 40 1 6.9 21.8 49.0 28.4 5.7 1.0 9.9 16.1 13.1 8.9 1.7 PY00696 24 1 0.4 1.0 6.6 6.7 3.7 1.0 0.3 0.3 0.9 1.9 1.2 PY03269 40 1 2.3 472.5 1006.2 740.7 389.5 1.0 3.4 350.1 268.4 233.2 119.7 PY03831 24 1 2.8 17791.9 8421.6 2331.9 14.9 1.0 3.2 6746.5 1496.7 639.5 5.4

EXAMPLE 3

This Example describes the identification of novel Plasmodium falciparum proteins that are differentially expressed during liver stage development.

We optimized the in vitro infection of HC-04 hepatocytes by P. falciparum parasites and employed unbiased amplification of the RNA in order to obtain sufficient material for microarray studies. We applied this material to the microarrays, and compared gene expression profiles of uninfected and infected HC-04 hepatocytes to identify the genes that were uniquely transcribed by the liver stage parasites. We analyzed these genes using bioinformatics tools to determine which may be unique to liver stage parasites. These genes encode the proteins that are now evaluated as vaccines to prevent P. falciparum infection by eliciting immune responses targeting liver stage parasites, or to develop drugs or diagnostics targeting liver stage parasites.

Materials and Methods

a. Optimization of in vitro infection of HC04 hepatocytes by P. falciparum: The human liver cell line, HC-04, was seeded into six-well tissue culture plates and maintained in culture medium supplemented with antibiotics and fetal bovine serum until confluent at 37° C. in a humidified incubator equilibrated with 10% CO₂ in air. P. falciparum sporozoites, hand-dissected three weeks after feeding, were added to HC-04 cells at a 2:1 (sporozoite:cell) ratio. The medium was changed 3 hr after sporozoite inoculation and then every 48 hr until exoerythrocytic merozoites were observed (see Sattabongkot et al. (2006) Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 74(5):706-7). Detection of liver-stage parasite was performed using Giemsa staining.

b. Microarray studies: Microarray experiments were performed as previously described (Bozdech et al. (2003) Genome Biol. 4(2):R9). Unmodified 70-mer oligonucleotides were printed on Corning UltraGaps poly-L-lysine slides. Slides were blocked by succinic anhydride in 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone neutralized with boric acid. RNA was isolated using PureLink Micro-to-Midi Total RNA Purification System (Invitrogen, catalog number 12183-018) according to manufacturer instructions. RNA was amplified using Ambion's AminoAllyl MessageAmp II aRNA Kit Amplification (Ambion, catalog number 1753) according to manufacturer instructions. The resulting aa-dUTP-containing cDNA was coupled to CyScribe Cy3 or Cy5 (Amersham, Piscataway, N.J.) monofunctional dye in the presence of 0.1 M NaHCO3 pH 9.0. Coupling reactions were incubated for a minimum of 1 h at room temperature. The hybridization medium contained 3×SSC, 1.5 mg/ml poly(A) DNA, and 0.5% SDS. Hybridizations were performed at 65° C. for 8-16 h. Arrays were washed in 2×SSC/0.2% SDS and then 0.1×SSC at room temperature. The microarrays were scanned with a GenePix 4000 scanner and the images analyzed using GenePix software (Axon Instruments, Union City, Calif.).

c. qPCR: qPCR reactions were performed in 0.050 ml volume in the presence of 500 nM of each of forward and reverse primers in 1×SYBR Green PCR Master Mix (Applied Biosystems, Catalog number 4334973) using the 96-well format of 7000 Sequence Detection System (Applied Biosystems). Typical qPCR conditions were: 2 minutes at 50° C., 10 minutes at 95° C., followed by 45 cycles of amplification. Each amplification cycle consisted of melting step at 95° C. for 15 seconds and annealing/ extension step at 60° C. for 45 seconds.

Results

The proportion of P. falciparum genes detected as upregulated (in infected versus uninfected HC04 cells) in 2 or more out of 4 completed microarrays was substantially and significantly greater than the proportion of non-malaria (human or yeast) genes. This establishes our criteria that genes that were detected as upregulated in 2 or more of our 4 arrays are candidate liver stage antigens.

Genes that are transcribed by liver stage parasites have been confirmed by quantitative PCR (qPCR). qPCR detection of liver stage genes was performed using the following quality control procedures to ensure specific identification and quantitation: a) each gene detected with two independent primer pairs/qPCR reactions; b) qPCR-amplified gene fragments was confirmed by size on agarose gel; c) qPCR of infected-HC04 cells was compared to qPCR of uninfected HC04 cells to show specificity; d) qPCR of liver stage genes was normalized to qPCR of housekeeping genes to quantify abundance; e) qPCR of genes was compared between liver stage parasites and other stages (sporozoite, late rings, late trophozoite, and late schizont stages) to confirm stage-specificity of transcription.

Table 3 shows the relative amounts (in log2 scale) of expression of P. falciparumgenes identified by qPCR to be overexpressed during liver stage compared to sporozoites, late rings, late trophozoites and late schizonts, after normalization using a panel of housekeeping genes. The value of 0 (zero) reflects an estimate of transcription that is not biologically meaningful, based on a level that is 170-fold less than the geometric mean of level of transcription of housekeeping genes. The genes in Table 3 are likely to be unique to liver stage parasites. Other genes whose expression was found to be elevated in liver stages compared to other stages include PFE0935c, PFB0610c, PF11_(—)0480, PFD0270c, PFL1995c, PFA0170c, PF08_(—)0054, and PFI0875w. The sequences of these genes and the proteins encoded by them may be obtained from the Plasmodium Genome Database (http://plasmodb.org/; Kissinger et. al (2002) Nature 419: 490-492), and are hereby incorporated by reference (version accessed Sep. 28, 2006). All the above genes and the proteins encoding them may be used for developing vaccines that elicit responses against liver stage parasites, or as targets for drugs and diagnostics.

The gene at P. falciparum locus PFE0305w (SEQ ID NO:20) has a sequence similar to transcription initiation factor TFIID, TATA-binding protein. We show that this transcription initiation factor is liver stage-specific. Therefore, knockout of this gene may represent a powerful strategy to create attenuated malaria parasites.

TABLE 3 Relative expression pattern of liver stage specific genes SP Liver Stage 0 h 24 h 48 h 72 h LR LT LS PFE0305w, 0.9 3.0 2.9 3.2 −0.9 −0.7 −0.8 SEQ ID NO: 20 MAL7P1.164, −1.1 2.3 3.3 2.8 −2.4 −0.5 −1.1 SEQ ID NO: 21 PF11_0230, −1.3 1.4 1.6 0.9 0.0 −0.9 0.6 SEQ ID NO: 22 PF14_0113, −0.3 3.1 3.3 2.5 1.4 1.3 −1.1 SEQ ID NO: 23 PF14_0534, −0.8 1.7 2.8 3.3 −0.7 −0.6 −2.8 SEQ ID NO: 24 PF11_0118, 0.6 2.1 2.5 1.3 0.1 0.4 −1.8 SEQ ID NO: 25 PFC0195w, −0.6 −0.8 2.1 4.4 −2.0 −0.8 −1.3 SEQ ID NO: 26 PFC0960c, 0.6 0.2 1.2 2.8 −5.4 −0.8 0.5 SEQ ID NO: 27 PF13_0112, 1.1 1.8 1.8 2.6 0.0 0.4 −1.1 SEQ ID NO: 28 SP = Sporozoites LR = Late ring stage LT = Late Trophozoites LS = Late Schizonts

Table 4 shows the relative amounts (in log₂ scale) of expression of P. falciparum genes overexpressed in sporozoite stage parasites (prior to hepatocyte invasion) that continue to be expressed during liver stage parasite development, but that are not expressed during blood stage development or expressed at significantly lower levels during blood stage development. Expression was normalized using a panel of housekeeping genes. The value of 0 (zero) reflects an estimate of transcription that is not biologically meaningful, based on a level that is 170-fold less than the geometric mean of level of transcription of housekeeping genes. These genes may be also be important targets for gene knockout attenuation of parasites, for drug and vaccine design, and for development of diagnostics.

TABLE 4 Relative expression pattern of genes overexpressed in liver stages compared to blood stages SP Liver Stage 0 h 24 h 48 h 72 h LR LT LS PF08_0073, 4.2 −0.5 0.9 0.0 −7.7 −8.1 −2.5 SEQ ID NO: 29 PF10_0164, 9.9 7.4 7.8 7.4 4.0 4.1 6.4 SEQ ID NO: 30 PF10_0214, 5.9 5.0 4.6 4.0 2.1 2.4 1.8 SEQ ID NO: 31 PF11_0221, 0.7 0.6 1.2 −1.6 −0.6 0.8 0.4 SEQ ID NO: 32 PF13_0012, 4.1 2.7 1.8 2.0 −6.2 −5.5 −4.6 SEQ ID NO: 33 PF14_0044, 2.1 1.9 1.6 2.3 −5.4 −5.3 −3.0 SEQ ID NO: 34 PF14_0050, −0.1 1.8 2.0 2.1 −1.4 0.7 0.7 SEQ ID NO: 35 PFA0200w, 9.4 2.5 1.3 3.5 −5.3 −2.9 1.4 SEQ ID NO: 36 PFB0690w, 5.8 −1.0 0.6 2.5 −2.8 −3.1 −1.7 SEQ ID NO: 37 PFD0205c, 0.7 −0.7 0.9 3.9 −2.2 0.1 1.0 SEQ ID NO: 38 PFD0215c, 6.9 2.8 2.8 3.6 −2.2 −1.1 1.8 SEQ ID NO: 39 PFD0285c, 7.0 2.5 3.1 3.9 0.4 −0.1 −0.9 SEQ ID NO: 40 PFD0430c, 10.8 0.9 −0.8 0.9 −6.2 −3.8 0.0 SEQ ID NO: 41 PFE1070c, 6.2 2.3 2.1 0.6 0.1 0.3 0.0 SEQ ID NO: 42 PFE1200w, 0.9 2.3 2.4 2.7 −1.6 −0.2 −0.8 SEQ ID NO: 43 PFE1550w, 0.9 1.9 1.8 1.9 −2.5 −0.5 0.0 SEQ ID NO: 44 PFL0800c, 13.6 3.9 1.7 3.6 −6.4 −7.8 −2.6 SEQ ID NO: 45 PF13_0201, 9.2 2.9 1.3 2.0 −4.7 −4.1 −0.9 SEQ ID NO: 46 PFC0210c, 12.9 4.1 2.9 4.2 −1.6 −1.1 −1.8 SEQ ID NO: 47 PFD0425w, 10.0 −0.2 0.7 2.0 −5.2 −2.0 −0.7 SEQ ID NO: 48 SP = Sporozoites LR = Late ring stage LT = Late Trophozoites LS = Late Schizonts

EXAMPLE 4

This Example describes the identification of two liver stage Plasmodium falciparum proteins as targets of protective immunity.

Fully protective immunity against liver stage malaria can be induced with attenuated parasites (reviewed in Matuschewski (2006) Curr. Op. Immunol. 18:1-9). This was originally demonstrated with malaria parasites that had been attenuated by irradiation, and more recently with parasites that had been genetically attenuated by removing key virulence genes. In these model systems, protective immunity has been correlated with IFN-gamma producing T cells (Kurtis et al. (2001) Trends Parasitol. 17(5):219-23; Hoffman et al. (2002) J. Infect. Dis. 185:1155-64; Berenzon et al. (2003) J Immunol. 171(4):2024-34), although it has been unclear what the antigenic targets of the specific T cells were.

We used a rodent model of protective immunity induced by attenuated parasites, to assess whether the liver stage antigens that we have identified in P. falciparum may be targets of protective immunity. Mice were inoculated three times by intravenous injection with P. berghei parasites that had been radiation-attenuated at the sporozoite stage (i.e., in mosquito salivary glands). The immunizations comprised 75,000 attenuated parasites for priming, followed by 20,000 and 20,000 parasites for each boost. Rodents were challenged with 10,000 wild type parasites at 7 days after the final immunization and were shown to be fully protected.

We collected immune cells from the livers and spleens of protected rodents five weeks after challenge, and examined their specific responses against peptides representing P. berghei orthologs of the P. falciparum antigens. Liver mononuclear cells were cultured overnight with medium alone, with Peptide 12 (INLQNLNYI, SEQ ID NO:51) from the P. berghei ortholog of P. falciparum liver stage protein PFE305w (SEQ ID NO:20), or with Peptide 4 (IAVENCNNI, SEQ ID NO:52) from the P. berghei ortholog of PF11_(—)0480 (SEQ ID No: 19).

We demonstrated that liver T cells, but not spleen T cells, from protected rodents expressed IFN-gamma in response to peptides 12 and 4. These data establish the liver stage proteins PFE0305w (SEQ ID NO:20) and PF11_(—)0480 (SEQ ID No:19) as antigenic targets of immunity that correlate with protection, and as immunogenic antigens expressed by liver stage malaria parasites.

EXAMPLE 5

This Example describes the expression of recombinant liver stage Plasmodium proteins.

Materials and Methods

a. Analyses of protein sequences: Large molecular weight proteins that cannot be expressed as full length proteins may be expressed as predicted immunogenic domains. Such immunogenic domains are predicted from the sequence of the proteins identified in EXAMPLES 1-3, and used for animal immunization studies. Protein sequences were analyzed using the DNASTAR program by several algorithms, including prediction of hydrophilicity according to Kyte-Doolittle method, surface probability according to Emini method, and antigenicity according to Jameson-Wolf method (DNASTAR, Inc).

b. Protein expression in E. coli: Protein expression in prokaryotic vector pET28b is carried out by growing bacteria to the logarithmic phase of growth, inducing expression of the recombinant protein with 1 mM IPTG and continuing to grow the bacteria culture to saturation. The culture is spun down and the bacteria cell pellet is washed 3 times in solution A (50 mM Tris, 10 mM EDTA, 5 mM DTT, 2% Triton X-100, 500 mM NaCl pH7.5). Proteins are solubilized for 2 hours in solution B (6 M guandium-HCl, 50 mM Tris pH8.0, 5 mM DTT). Cell debris are removed by centrifugation, and the protein solution is loaded onto Nickel columns to purify the His-tagged recombinant protein according to the manufacturer's specification (Novagen).

c. In vitro protein expression: Because some of the malaria antigens may be difficult to express in cellular systems and are conformation dependent, an alternative method is also used to express the proteins identified in EXAMPLES 1-3, by using a cell-free in-vitro protein synthesis system (ENDEXT Technology) produced by CellFree Sciences. This method utilizes wheat germ lysate free of translation inhibitors, that allows stable translation of eukaryotic proteins, including conformation-dependent malaria antigens. The genes encoding these proteins are cloned into pEU-E01-His-TEV-MCS vector (Cell Free Systems, Inc.), followed by protein synthesis according to the manufacturer (CellFree Sciences). The His-tag proteins are purified using anti-His beads according to the manufacturer (Dynal).

d. Immune recognition of proteins: The recombinant proteins are analyzed for their recognition by T cells and sera from immune and non-immune individuals, for example, as described in EXAMPLE 4, in Doolan et al. (2003) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100(17):9952-7, and in Sundaresh et al. (2006) Bioinformatics 22(14):1760-6.

It is expected that the proteins that are used to immunize rabbits are immunogenic, and elicit antibodies that recognize Plasmodium liver stages, as described in EXAMPLE 1, and/or T cell responses, as described in EXAMPLE 4. Proteins that react with T cells and/or sera from immune individuals at significantly higher levels compared with T cells and/or sera from nonimmune individuals are expected to be good immunogens for use in a malaria vaccine.

EXAMPLE 6

This Example describes the expression in P. pastoris of recombinant liver stage Plasmodium falciparum proteins and immunogenic derivatives thereof.

a. Identification of immunogenic domains: Protein sequences were analysed using DNASTAR program by several algorithms, including prediction of hydrophilicity according to Kyte-Doolittle method, surface probability according to Emini method, and antigenicity according to Jameson-Wolf method (DNASTAR, inc). To improve the solubility of recombinant proteins, highly hydrophobic regions are not included in expression domains.

b. Expression of liver stage Plasmodium proteins in P. pastoris: Proteins are expressed according to a detailed protocol describing how to clone and express protein in Pichia pastoris (available from Invitrogen as a part of EasySelect Pichia Expression Kit, product # K1740-01).

c. Expression of high molecular weight liver stage P. falciparum proteins: High molecular weight proteins that can not be expressed as full-length proteins may be expressed as predicted immunogenic domains. Some of the large liver stage Plasmodium proteins identified in EXAMPLES 1-3 do not demonstrate any apparent structure in their sequences: PF14_(—)0179 (SEQ ID NO:11) is a predicted 423 kDa a protein, PFD0260c (SEQ ID NO:12) is a predicted 233.71 kDa protein, MAL13P1.66 (SEQ ID NO:15) is a predicted 345.7 kDa protein, PF11_(—)0480 (SEQ ID NO: 19) is a predicted 348 kDa protein, PFC0195w (SEQ ID NO:26) is a predicted 170.5 kDa protein, PFC0960c (SEQ ID NO:27) is a predicted 231.8 kDa a protein, PFE1070c (SEQ ID NO:42) is a predicted 162 kDa protein, and PFE1200w (SEQ ID NO:43) is a predicted 147.8 kDa protein. These proteins are expressed as a number of partially overlapping polypeptides of 40-70 kDa each.

d. Expression of small and medium molecular weight liver stage P. falciparum proteins: The following small and medium molecular weight proteins are expressed as full-length proteins: PF10_(—)0027 (SEQ ID NO:16) is a predicted 49.7 kDa protein, PF11_(—)0230 (SEQ ID NO:22) is a predicted 19.7 kDa protein, PF14_(—)0534 (SEQ ID NO:24) is a predicted 55 kDa protein, PF13_(—)0112 (SEQ ID NO:28) is a predicted 9.2 kDa protein, PF08_(—)0073 (SEQ ID NO:29) is a predicted 44.8 kDa protein, PF11_(—)0221 (SEQ ID NO:32) is a predicted 7.1 kDa protein, PFB0690w (SEQ ID NO:37) is a predicted 29.7 kDa protein, and PFD0205c (SEQ ID NO:38) is a predicted 19.6 kDa protein.

e. Expression of selected liver stage P. falciparum proteins: PFI1125c (SEQ ID NO:13) is a putative 3-oxoacyl-(acyl-carrier protein) reductase of 33 kDa molecular weight. Both the full-length protein and a conserved domain including amino acids 59-300 are expressed.

PF13_(—)0128 (SEQ ID NO:14) is a precursor of beta-hydroxyacyl-acp dehydratase of 26 kDa molecular weight. Both the full-length protein and a conserved domain including amino acids 72-230 are expressed.

MAL8P1.201 (SEQ ID NO:17) is a conserved hypothetical protein of 128.6 kDa molecular weight. This protein is expressed as two domains: the first domain includes amino acids 1-545, the second domain includes amino acids 660-1073. Both domains are hydrophilic and contain multiple antigenic epitopes.

PFE1450c (SEQ ID NO:18) is a conserved hypothetical protein of 22 kDa molecular weight. A domain of this protein starting after putative transmembrane domain, at amino acid 28, is expressed.

PFE0305w (SEQ ID NO:20) is a transcription initiation factor TFIID, TATA-binding protein of 38 kDa molecular weight. The full-length protein is expressed, as well as a conserved domain including amino acids 151-326.

MAL7P1.164 (SEQ ID NO:21) is a putative adapter-related protein of 100 kDa molecular weight. This protein is expressed as two domains: the first domain includes amino acids 6-529, the second domain includes amino acids 587-842. The first domain has extensive sequence homology to N terminal region of Adaptin. The second domains is hydrophilic and contains multiple antigenic epitopes.

PF14_(—)0113 (SEQ ID NO:23) is a hypothetical protein of 113 kDa molecular weight. Based on antigenic surface probability, a domain including amino acids 1-346 is expressed.

PF11_(—)0118 (SEQ ID NO:25) is a hypothetical protein of 72.5 kDa molecular weight with substantial homology to transcription elongation regulator 1, TBP-associated factor. Based on sequence homology, a domain including amino acids 92-578 is expressed.

PF10_(—)0164 (SEQ ID NO:30) is a hypothetical membrane protein. A hydrophilic, non-membrane portion including amino acids 76-130 is expressed.

PF10_(—)0214 (SEQ ID NO:31) is a hypothetical protein of 168 kDa molecular weight. Based on antigenic surface probability, a domain including amino acids 415-885 is expressed.

PF13_(—)0012 (SEQ ID NO:33) is a hypothetical protein of 26.8 kDa molecular weight. This protein is expressed from amino acid 84, without putative transmembrane domains.

PF14_(—)0044 (SEQ ID NO:34) is a hypothetical protein of 33.5 kDa molecular weight. This protein is expressed from amino acid 22, without the putative signal peptide.

PF14_(—)0050 (SEQ ID NO:35) is a hypothetical protein of 124 kDa molecular weight. This protein is expressed as two domains: the first domain includes amino acids 208-512, the second domain includes amino acids from 716 to carboxyl end. Both domains are hydrophilic and contain multiple antigenic epitopes.

PFA0200w (SEQ ID NO:36) is a hypothetical membrane protein of 19 kDa molecular weight. This protein is expressed as a hydrophilic, non-membrane portion including amino acids 1-135.

PFD0215c (SEQ ID NO:39) is pf52 protein of 56 kDa molecular weight. This protein is expressed as two domains: the first domain includes amino acids 181-306, the second domain includes amino acids 47-457. The first domain has extensive sequence homology to sexual stage antigen s48/45 domain. The second domain excludes hydrophobic transmembrane regions and contains multiple antigenic epitopes.

PFD0285c (SEQ ID NO:40) is a putative lysine decarboxylase of 280.9 kDa molecular weight with substantial homology to the major domain of Lys/Arg decarboxylase. Based on sequence homology, a domain including amino acids 585-1018 is expressed.

PFD0430c (SEQ ID NO:41) is a hypothetical protein of 94.7 kDa molecular weight. Based on antigenic surface probability, a domain beginning at amino acid 230 to the C-terminal end is expressed.

PFE1550w (SEQ ID NO:44) is a hypothetical membrane protein of 85 kDa molecular weight. This protein is expressed as a hydrophilic, non-membrane portion including amino acids 236-683.

PFL0800c (SEQ ID NO:45) is a hypothetical protein of 20 kDa molecular weight. This protein is expressed starting at amino acid 26, after putative transmembrane domains.

PFD0425w (SEQ ID NO:48) is a hypothetical protein of 113 kDa molecular weight. This protein is expressed as two domains: the first domain includes amino acids 23-459, the second domain includes amino acids 488-813. The first domain has extensive sequence homology to N-terminal region of Adaptin. Both domains are hydrophilic and contain multiple antigenic epitopes.

f. Immune recognition of proteins: The recombinant proteins are analyzed for their recognition by T cells and sera from immune and non-immune individuals, for example, as described in EXAMPLE 4, in Doolan et al. (2003) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100(17):9952-7, and in Sundaresh et al. (2006) Bioinformatics 22(14):1760-6.

It is expected that the proteins that are used to immunize rabbits are immunogenic, and elicit antibodies that recognize Plasmodium liver stages, as described in EXAMPLE 1, and/or T cell responses, as described in EXAMPLE 4. Proteins that react with T cells and/or sera from immune individuals at significantly higher levels compared with T cells and/or sera from nonimmune individuals are expected to be good immunogens for use in a malaria vaccine.

EXAMPLE 7

This Example describes the preparation of a DNA vaccine encoding a liver stage Plasmodium polypeptide. The development of effective vaccines is one of the most promising approaches for providing cost-effective interventions to complement currently available control strategies for malaria. DNA as vaccines were first reported by Ulmer et al. (1993) Science 259:1745-9, who reported an induced protective immunity against influenza after injection of plasmid DNA encoding a viral protein.

DNA or nucleic acid vaccines are being evaluated for efficacy against a range of parasitic diseases including malaria. Data from studies in rodent model systems have provided proof of principle that DNA vaccines are effective at inducing both humoral and T cell responses to a variety of candidate vaccine antigens. In particular, the induction of potent cellular responses often gives DNA vaccination an immunological advantage over subunit protein vaccination. Protection against parasite challenge has been demonstrated in a number of systems. The use of DNA as a vaccine has been evaluated recently using 302 P. falciparum genes (Aguiar et al. (2004) Genome Res. 14(10B):2076-82), 192 P. yoelii sporozoite genes (Haddad et al. (2004) Infect. Immun. 70(8):4329-35) and ˜2000 P. berghei full length cDNA (Shibui et al. (2005) Vaccine 23(34):4359-66).

Materials and Methods (adapted from Shibui et al. (2005) Vaccine 23(34):4359-66)

cDNA encoding the fall length of the gene is inserted in an expression vector. Plasmid DNA is extracted, purified and precipitated onto 1 micrometer gold particles using CaCl₂ in the presence of spermidine at a loading rate of 2 microgram DNA/mg of gold according to the instructions of the manufacturer. A helium gene gun system is used to inoculate mice with these DNA coated gold particles.

Immunization of mice is carried out by three injections of the gold particles 1 week apart. The immunized mice are challenged after 1 week with either blood stage parasites or infectious sporozoites dissected from infected mosquitoes.

Each of the scientific or patent references cited herein is hereby incorporated by reference.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. An immunogenic composition comprising an isolated polypeptide effective for inducing an immune response to liver stage Plasmodium falciparum in a mammalian subject, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein the isolated polypeptide comprises at least one of: (a) an isolated polypeptide with at least 95% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 21; (b) an isolated polypeptide with at least 95% amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 6-529 of SEQ ID NO:21; and (c) an isolated polypeptide with at least 95% amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 587-842 of SEQ ID NO:
 21. 2. The immunogenic composition of claim 1 comprising at least one of: (a) an isolated polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:21; (b) an isolated polypeptide comprising amino acids 6-529 of SEQ ID NO:21; and (c) an isolated polypeptide comprising amino acids 587-842 of SEQ ID NO:
 21. 